Despite never serving his country overseas Lance Corporal Forbes Knight has been honoured for his service to the Roxburgh-Millers Flat RSA.

His 38 years' dedicated service to the RSA has been recognised with life membership for meritorious service.

It might have been longer but for many years there was a block on servicemen who had not served active duty.

Just as his own compulsory military training intake was to leave to join the fighting, the Korean War finished.

''I was always keen to join as Dad had been a Gallipoli veteran with the Otago Mounted Rifles.''

In the meantime he was busy with his business Millers Flat Transport, which he bought with Roy Tosh in 1954.

In 1972 he gave in to pressure to play outdoor bowls, his first game in bare feet having been called in at the last minute and two years later was club secretary, a position he held for almost 40 years until new technology allowed him to hand the books to someone else.

In 1982 he became convenor for the RSA bowls tournament held each year just before Anzac Day.

''We used to have 48 teams playing, two greens in Roxburgh and one here at Millers Flat. That first year teams paid $14 entry and we made a profit of $668.68, last year we had just 16 teams playing at Millers Flat at $40 team and we made a profit of $828.50.''

He has also given his time as president of the Beaumont Racing Club for 22 years, race steward for Roxburgh Trotting Club, judge's clerk for the Millers Flat Collie Club dog trials, and member of the Millers Flat Recreation Reserve Committee and Sportsground Committee.

After he sold the transport business in 1984 he took up curling.

A health problem several years ago forced Mr Knight to give up actively playing bowls but he is still a qualified umpire.

He stood down from the position of secretary-treasurer at last week's RSA annual general meeting after more than 20 years.